The past few years have shown a growing trend of computer system dependence among businesses. Computer systems have become such an essential tool for businesses that billions of dollars in revenue have been lost in recent computer outages (i.e., virus attacks, hacker attacks, etc.). Some of the most damaging computer outages have been attributed to intentional virus attacks or erroneous software glitches. In either case, intentional or unintentional malignant software can be quite damaging to computer systems and the businesses that depend on them.
Many developments have been made in the area of computer system security and/or protection policies in an effort to protect against malignant software and to create more robust and dependable computing environments. Some examples of computer system protection policies include hardware protection, resource monitors, and authentication procedures.
Currently, integrity verification of software and/or firmware running on a computer system does not include measuring all software in the system. Instead, the integrity of the computer system is verified by measuring a portion of the software and/or firmware running on the computer system. However, the unmeasured portion (e.g., the software and/or firmware that carries out the measurement) of the computer system is left unverified. This unmeasured portion is a breach in security that is open for exploitation by a hacker and/or a computer virus. Thus currently-available computer systems are typically only partially protected from outside and/or inside intrusions.